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USWFS to burn woody debris piles on military training lands in Interior Alaska

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Smoke may be visible on Fort Wainwright, from the Richardson Highway, northeast of Eielson Air Force Base, and from the Chena Hot Springs Road

The U.S. Wildland Fire Service, in conjunction with the U.S. Army Garrison Alaska, will conduct pile burning on military lands across Interior Alaska beginning as soon as Oct. 6. USWFS personnel will burn piles in the Yukon Training Area northeast of Eielson Air Force Base, Donnelly Training Area south of Delta Junction, and in the northeast corner of Fort Wainwright. Operations will occur as conditions allow and may continue through Oct. 31.

Map of the communities surrounding the Yukon Training Area and Fort Wainwright. Three orange dots mark the locations where woody-debris piles will be burned this month.
Map of the communities surrounding the Yukon Training Area and Fort Wainwright. Three orange dots mark the locations where woody-debris piles will be burned this month. Click on link for a PDF copy of the map.

The piles were created over the past several summers as part of an ongoing effort to reduce hazardous fuels and improve access to key training areas. Most piles were built by USWFS crews using unsalvageable woody debris left over from those projects.

The area targeted for burning are:

  • Fort Wainwright Main Post:  Near Sage Hill in the northeast corner of the post.
  • YTA: Moose Creek and Husky Drop Zone northeast and east of EAFB.
  • DTA East: A pile in a gravel pit in Jarvis Training Area, close to Banjo Lake south of Delta Junction.

The piles will be ignited when weather conditions will minimize the impact of smoke on populated areas in accordance with open burn approvals issued by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation. The USWFS and the U.S. Army Garrison Alaska are working with the ADEC and the National Weather Service to forecast and monitor smoke conditions to ensure compliance with all local, state, and federal regulations governing air quality.

For more information about the prescribed fires on military training lands, contact the Yukon Fire Dispatch Center in Fairbanks at 907-356-5555 or Public Affairs Specialist Beth Ipsen at Elizabeth_ipsen@ios.doi.gov or 907-356-5510.

Map showing a orange dot that marks the spot where a pile is located that will be burned this month.

Firefighters are burning a woody debris pile in a gravel pit in Jarvis Training Area, close to Banjo Lake south of Delta Junction. Click on map for a PDF version of the map.

-USWFS-

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Categories: AK Fire Info, Donnelly Training Area, Prescribed Fire, US Wildland Fire Service